Shoe machine



Au 8, 1939. J, w, pRAT T- 2,168,494 saom MACHINE Filed March 25, 1938 N VENTUR Patented Aug. 8, 1939 PATENT OFFICE SHOE MACHINE John William Pratt, Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a. corporation of New Jersey Application March 25,

1938, Serial No. 198,111

In Great Britain May 25, 1937 8 Claims.

.,This invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and is herein illustrated as applied to a heel-end lasting machine of the character disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,059,241, granted on November 3, 1936, upon an application of J. C. Jorgensen. It is to be understood, however, that in its more general aspects the invention is not limited to machines of that particular character or to machines for lasting shoes.

The machine shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patent comprises power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, and a shoe support or jack movable prior to the starting of the cycle of operations to present the shoe to the power-driven means. Such a machine has been provided heretofore with additional power means operated by fluid pressure for imparting to the shoe support its shoe-presenting movement and for then maintaining it in shoe-presenting position to permit the operator to inspect the shoe prior to any operation of the machine thereon, as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,085,755, granted on July 6, 1937, upon another application of J. C. Jorgensen. Further to facilitate and expedite use of the machine, the present invention provides simple and convenient means for starting the cycle of operations of the ma- $0 chine by the same controlling member, herein shownas a treadle, which the operator utilizes to render the additional power means effective onthe shoe support. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a starting member with 35 which the machine has been provided heretofore for starting the cycle of operations by hand is arranged to be operated by further movement of the above-mentioned treadle after the treadle has been depressed far enough to cause the shoe support to receive its shoe-presenting movement. This contributes to economy of time in the use ofthe machine and also permits the operator to control the shoe with both hands until the machine is started. The operator may, if desired, delay the starting of the machine after the presentation of the shoe by the shoe support to enable him to observe whether the shoe has been properly presented and, if necessary, to adjust it relatively to the means which is to operate thereon; and to facilitate such procedure the machine is provided with spring means whereby resistance to further depression of the treadle is increased after it has been depressed far enough to cause the operation of the shoe support. In as, accordance with a further desirable characteristic of the construction shown the starting member which is operated by the treadle may, if desired, be operated instead by hand, as may be convenient at times for test purposes.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in tne claims.

The drawing shows partly in left-hand side elevation and partly in section portions of a heel-end lasting machine of the character disclosed in the previously mentioned Letters Pat ent with features of the present invention embodied therein. The. machine includes in its organization a heel band 2 for embracing and clamping the heel-end portion of the shoe, wipers 4 for wiping the margin of the upper inwardly over an insole or other shoe bottom part, and a plurality of tack drivers 6 for driving tacks to fasten the upper in lasted position. The-heel band, wipers and tack drivers are operated or controlled through clutch-driven parts and act automatically in the course of a cycle of power operations of the machine which is initiated by actuating or tripping the clutch (not shown),- The position of the shoe heightwise in the lasting operation is determined by a holddown 8 engaging the bottom of the heel end of the shoe. The last and its shoe materials are positioned on a shoe support or jack 10 which is mounted at l2 for rearward swinging movement to carry the heel end of the shoe against the heel band 2 and includes a post l4 movable upwardly by means of a slide IE to force the bottom of the heel end of the shoe against the holddown 8. The jack is swung rearwardly and the post I4 is raised prior to the actuation of the clutch to start the cycle of operations. For this purpose there is pivotally mounted at IS on a bracket on the lower end of the jack a lever 22 the front end of which underlies the slide l6 and the rear end of which carries a roll 24 normally in engagement with a controlling block 26. The rear end of the lever 24 is connected by a link 28 to the front end of a lever 3|] pivotally mounted on a rod 32 supported by a bracket at the base of the machine. It will thus be seen that, as the lever is swung in the direction to pull downwardly on the link 28, the jack is first swung rearwardly, since the block 26 prevents the lever 22 from swinging about its own axis. Near the end of the rearward swinging movement of the jack the roll 24 leaves the block 26, whereupon the lever 22, in response to continued movement of the lever 30, is swung to raise the slide l6 and the post l4 and thus force the shoe against the holddown 8 as the jack completes its swinging movement to carry the shoe against the heel band. The lever is operated by fluid-pressure means constructed as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,085,755 and comprising a piston 34 movable upwardly in a cylinder 36 in response to pressure of fluid against it, the piston acting through a rod 38 and other parts fully disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent upon a link 40 connected to the rear end of the lever 30 to impart operative swinging movement to the lever. The admission of fluid to the cylinder 36 to operate the piston 34 is controlled by a valve operated through a link 42 by a treadle 44 also as fully disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent. Accordingly, upon depression 'of the treadle 44 the piston 34 is raised by the pressure fluid and acts through the lever 36 to impart rearward swinging movement to the jack and upward movement to the post 14 to present the shoe against the heel band 2 and the holddown Bin the manner above described before the clutch is tripped to start the power operation of the machine. Prior to the starting of the machine the operator may, by permitting a slight upward movement of the treadle 44, cause the pressure of the shoe against the heel band and the holddown to be'relieved to enable him to adjust the shoe relatively to the wipers 4 if such adjustment appears to be desirable, as further disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,085,755. In that event he will then again depress the treadle far enough to render the fluid-pressure means once more fully effective on the jack and its post I4.

For tripping the clutch to start the power operation of the machine there is provided a push rod 46 movable rearwardly for that purpose against the resistance of a spring 48 by pressure of the operators hand on a pad 50 on the front end of the rod, as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,059,241. For purposes of the present invention mechanism is provided for alternatively operating the push rod 46 to trip the clutch by further depression of the treadle 44 after the treadle has been depressed far enough to render the fluidpressure means effective on the jack in the manner above described. Opportunity for such further depression of the treadle is afforded by yield of the spring I18 shown in Letters Patent No. 2,085,755. To render such further movement of the treadle effective to operate the rod 46 there is connected to this rod near its front end a wire cable 52 guided for lengthwise movement in a tubular member 54 and so arranged as to extend first rearwardly from its connection with the rod 46, then downwardly to the base of the machine, and then forwardly to a position where its lower end is connected to an upwardly extending arm 56 of a bell-crank lever mounted for swinging movement about a rod 58, the bell-crank lever having another forwardly extending arm 60 provided with a lug 62 arranged to be engaged by the lower end of a screw 64 adjustably mounted in a, bracket 66 on the treadle 44. It is contemplated that the screw 64 will be so adjusted that it will engage the lug 62 when the treadle has been depressed just far enough to cause the fluidpressure means'to act on the jack, the spring 48 which controls the rod 46 then opposing increased resistance to the depression of the treadle so that the operator will know when it arrives at this point in its movement and may then delay the starting of the machine, if he so desires, until he has observed the position of the shoe and has, if necessary, adjusted the shoe in the manner above described. Thereafter the operator further depresses the treadle to start the machine, the bell-crank lever 56, 60 being swung by the treadle and acting through the wire cable 52 to impart rearward clutch-tripping movement to the rod 46. By the use of a single member, therefore, the operator is enabled both to render the 'fiuid-pressure means effective on the jack and to start the power operation of the machine, with such a pause between the two operations as may be desirable to permit inspection of the work and any necessary adjustment thereof. The operator is thus enabled to control the shoe with both hands until the machine is started. If desired, however, the operator may at any time start the machine by manual movement of the push rod 46 in the same manner as heretofore.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, additional power means for thus moving said shoe support and for then maintaining it in shoe-presenting position to permit the operator to inspect the shoe prior to any operation of the machine thereon, a controlling member movable by the operator to cause said additional power means thus to act on the shoe support, a device for starting the cycle of operations of the machine independently ofsaid additional power means, and mechanism for operating said starting device by further movement of said controlling member after the shoe support has received its shoe-presenting movement.

2. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, fluid-pressure means for thus moving said shoe suport, a controlling member movable by the operator to cause said fluid-pressure means thus to act on the shoe support, a device arranged to act independently of said fluid-pressure means to start the cycle of f operations of the machine, and mechanism for imparting operative movement to said starting device by movement of said controlling member, said mechanism being arranged to remain stationary until after said controlling member has been moved far enough to render the fluid-pressure means effective on the shoe support.

3. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, fluid-pressure means for thus moving said shoe support, a treadle movable by the operator to cause said fluid-pressure means thus to act on the shoe support, a member arranged to act independently of said fluid-pressure means to start the cycle of operations of the machine, and mechanism for moving said starting member by the movement of said treadle only after the treadle has been moved far enough to render the fluid-pressure means effective on the shoe support.

4. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of 76 a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, fluid-pressure means for thus moving said shoe support, a treadle movable by the operator to cause said fluid-pressure means thus to act on the shoe support, a member arranged to act independently of said fluid-pressure means to start the cycle of operations of the machine, and a device into operative relation to which said treadle is movable in rendering the fluid-pressure means effective on the shoe support for thereafter operating said starting member by further movement of the treadle.

5. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, fluid-pressure means for thus moving said shoe support, a treadle movable by the operator to cause said fluid-pressure means thusto act on the shoe support, a member arranged to act independently of said fluid-pressure means to start the cycle of operations of the machine, a lever arranged to be operated by said treadle only after the treadle has been moved far enough to render the fluid-pressure means effective on the shoe support, and a connection between said lever and the starting member for operating said member by the movement of the lever.

6. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, fluid-pressure means for thus moving said shoe support, a treadle movable by the operator to cause said fluid-pressure means thus to act on the shoe support, a member movable to start the cycle of operations of the machine, means for operating said member by further movement of said treadle after the treadle has been moved far enough to render the fluidpressure means effective on the shoe support, and a spring arranged to oppose only such further movement of the treadle to enable the operator more readily to delay the starting of the machine after the shoe-presenting movement of the shoe support.

'7. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, fluid-pressure means for thus moving said shoe support, a treadle movable by the operator to cause said fluid-pressure means thus to act on the shoe support, a starting member movable by hand to start the cycle of operations of the machine, and mechanism for operating said starting member alternatively by movement of said treadle.

8. In a shoe machine, the combination with power-driven means for operating on a shoe in a cycle of automatic operations of the machine, of a shoe support movable to present a shoe to said power-driven means, fluid-pressure means for thus moving said shoe support, a treadle movable by the operator to cause said fluid-pressure means thus to act on the shoe support, a starting member movable by hand to start the cycle of opera tions of the machine, and mechanism arranged to be operated by said treadle only after the treadle has been moved far enough to render the fluidpressure means effective on the shoe support for operating said starting member by the treadle instead of by hand.

JOHN WILLIAM PRATT. 

